Submersible flying boat



.l. ARDO.

SUBMERSIBLE FLYING BOAT.

APPLICMION FILED 001 28,1921.

Patented July 4, 1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- mmgae J. ARDQ. SUBMERSIBLE FLYING BOAT. APPLICATION men 061. 2a. 1921.

1,4219%. Patented July 4, 1922;

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ning tower 11, having front and rear port- NHTE STTS JOSEPH ARDO, OF NEWHALL, WEST VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF T0 KALMAN HORVATH, 0F NEWHALL, WEST VIRGINIA.

SUBMERSIIBLE FLYING BOAT.

Application filed October 28, 1921.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be itknown that I, JOSEPH ARDo, citizen of the United States, residing at i ewhall, 1n the county of McDowell and State of West Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Submersible Flying Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a submersible flying boat, and it has for a. general object to provide a boat capable of traveling in the air, or on or under the water.

A further objectis to arrange the lifting planes, which sustain the boat in the air, in

a manner to permit of the same being fold-- ed backward when the boat is to be submerged.

A further object relates to the provision of novel means for raising or lowering the boat in the water.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and. advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in wh ch the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a side view, with parts broken away to show interior mechanism, of a submersible flying boat constructed according to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a front view thereof,

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view, with the l1fting plane sections, or wlngs, folded back. I

Referring now to the drawings, 10 indicates the hull of my improved submersible flying boat, this hull being constructed of usual material and being of usual streamline form. The hull is provided with a conholes 12, and a door 13. A periscope 14 of ordinary construction is mounted on the conning tower 11. In the top of the hull 10 are mounted a pair of vertical stub-shafts 18 to which are fixed rigid arms such as 19 to which the plane structure of the boat is rigidly attached. As here shown the boat 1s shown as provided with upper and lower planes 20 and 21 divided into two wings or sections. The lower wings are fixed on the arms 19 adjacent their inner rear corners, while the upper wings are rigidly braced to the lower ones by the struts 22 and tie rods 23.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 511,144.

Secured to the undersides of the wings 21 are downwardly projecting studs 25 which are adapted to be engaged by hooks or claws 26 carried on the upper ends of compound rock-shafts 27 to hold the wings in transversely extended position. The wings are also provided near their rear edges with a second pair of studs 28 adapted to be engaged by books or claws 29 fixed on the upper ends of compound rock-shafts 27 supported by a bracket- 31 on the hull to hold the wings int-hebackwardly folded position shown in Fig. 3. The rock-shafts are here shown as comprising an outer tube and an inner tube 30" on' which the hooks are mounted, these hooks are closed together by springs 33. The shaft elements 30, 30 are adapted to be rocked, to swing the hooks out of engagement with the studs 28, by arms 34 fixed to the underside thereof and connected by cords 34 to a. common operating lever 34% provided with. ordinary locking means such as 34 The hooks 25 are also released and held by similar means.

For travel through the air the boat is pro-- vided with a pair of air propellers 35 fixed to the rear ends of shafts 36 suit-ably journa-led in a framework 37 rigid with the wing structure between the upper and lower Wings. Journaled in the framework 37 of each wing, below and parallel to the shaft 36, is a second shaft 38 which has a drive. connection with said shaft 36 by means of a sprocket chain 39' looped over suitable sprocket .wheels on the respective shafts. Upon the forward: ends 'of shafts 38 are fixed bevel gears 40 which mesh with like gears 41 on the outer ends of transverse shafts 42 whose inner ends have toothed clutch elements 4C3 fixed thereto and adapted to engage with or disengage from, like clutch elements 44: on the ends of a. shaft 45 driven by a suitable engine (not shown) contained within the boat.

For swinging the wings between their two positions I provide on the lower end of each shaft 18 a bevel gear engaged by a bevel pinion 51 journaled in a suitable bearing bracket 52 and having fixed co-axlally thereto a crank handle 53 whereby it may be rotated.

Patented July 4, 1922.

For vertical steering of the aeroplane in Wvard ends'open'through the hull wall, and

may have screens 16 placed thereover. Each of these cylinders has a piston such as 62 therein and having a-rearwardly extending piston rod 63 whose rear end passes through a fixed support 64. .The piston rod 63 has a series of longitudinally spaced notches 65 formed therein and engaged by a pawl 66 pivoted on the support 64 to hold the piston against backward movement. As will be understood,,the piston may be set at different distances from the mouths of.

the cylinders and the quantity of water contained therein thereby variedi, For forcingthe pistons forward I provide a series of tanks 68 adapted to contain compressed air supplied thereto, when the boatis on or above. the surface of the water, -by an air compressor 69. These tanks have pipes such as 7 J leading'tothe respective cyl1n-' ders, each pipe having a control valve such as 71 mounted thereon. To assist raising and lowering the boat in the water I also provide a horizontally arranged propeller.

73, located above the front end of the hull 10, and driven by suitable connections from the boat englne. When the boat is designed for use in warfare it may be equipped with nin which may be swung open to allow the gun a pair of machine guns carried in the conning tower 11 and facing rearwardly and forwardly respectively, the ends of the contower being provided with doors 75 to be used, the rear gun being indicated at 7 6 in Fig. -1.

Havingthus described my inventionwhat 1 claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of' the 'United States is as.

follows: r

1. In a submersible vmel, a hull, a series of cylinders opening at one end through said hull, in said cylinders, means for locking sa d pistons in different adjusted posltions' against inward movement m'said cylinders said means permitting freeoutward movement of the pistons in the cylinders, and other means for moving said pistons outward in said cylinders.

2. In a submarine, a series of longitudinally extending cylinders having their forward ends opening through the hull of the submarine, ,pistons 111 said cylinders,

and means for setting said pistons in different positions longitudinally of the cylinders, said means including notched piston rods connected to said pistons and-pawls adapted toengage in the notches in the piston rods to prevent rearwardmo-vement but permit free forward movement of said piston rods, and means forsupplying compressed air' to said cylinders behind said cylinders.

3. Ina flying machine, a body, apair of wings on said body and adapted to be ex-' tended transversely of said body or to fold backward thereover when not in use, propellers mounted on said wings, a motor in said body, and releasable drive connections between said motor and propellers.

4. In a flying machine, a body, a pair of wings on said body and adapted to be ex tended transversely of said body or to fold backward thereon when not in use, propellers mounted on said wings, a motor in said body, and releasable drive connections between said motor and' propellers, said connections including clutch elements adapted to automatically engage and disengage as the wings are changed from 'one position to the other;

5. A submersible flying boat oomprisin a closed hull, and a pair of wings on sai hull and adapted to be extended transversely or to fold-backward thereover when not in use, propellers mounted on said wings, shafts for rotating said propellers, a drive shaft mounted on the boat hull, and releasable clutch connections between said drive shaft and first mentioned shafts In. testimony whereof I have affixed my signature. 

